St. Anthony’s Scroll
A publication of
St. Anthony Orthodox Christian
Church
VOLUME 7 ~ NUMBER 9
September 2016
That’s right! September 1st marks the beginning of
the New CHURCH Year. It’s appropriate the
Fr. Anthony Baba
Church New Year begins in September simply
because it’s around the time when our kids go back
to school. It’s also when Church School resumes. It’s when summer is just about over, and we
welcome the activities of the fall.
So as we welcome the New Year, it’s not uncommon to make a New Year’s resolution, and
since September 1st is considered the “Church New Year”, your biased priest encourages you to adopt
one simple resolution. Come to Church on time. Someone will say, “Well Father, at least I’m
coming.” Yes, and don’t stop coming! God accepts those who come late just as much as He accepts
those who come early, but coming late means that you’ve missed out on special parts of the service.
Exactly what those special parts are have been prepared in the form of a chart.
A New Year’s Resolution?
What time
do I arrive?
What part did I miss?
9:55
Matins
10:00
Blessed is the Kingdom
10:15
Litanies & Prayers
10:25
Epistle, Gospel, Sermon
10:40
Cherubic Hymn
10:50
The Creed & Offering
11:00
The Lord’s Prayer
11:10
The Eucharist
11:20
Thanksgiving Prayers
11:30
The Dismissal
I have deprived myself of the opportunity to…
An entire service (beginning at 8:45 AM).
Hear the hymns of the week & prepare for the Liturgy.
Proclaim that God’s Kingdom is blessed
and to respond, “Amen.”
Pray for peace, the Church, the sick.
Participate in the Entrance of the Holy Gospel
Hear the Word of God, and think of
how it applies to my daily life.
Participate in the procession of the
Holy Gifts among the people.
Proclaim what “I believe” and
acknowledge the One Who is being offered.
Prepare to receive the
Body & Blood of Christ.
Receive the
Body & Blood of Christ.
Give praise and thanks to God for
the Gift we have received from Him.
Commemorate Christ’s saving work, and the
prayers and intercession of all the saints.
St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Christian Church
7202 FM 2920 ~ Spring, TX 77379 ~ (281) 251-6000 ~ www.stanthonythegreat.org
What’s Happenin’?
Page 2
Altar Server TRAINING DAY
Saturday, Sept. 10th
10:30a – 1:30p
Calling all young men
entering the 2nd
grade! The Church
needs you to serve
in the Altar on
Sundays!
September 11th
The Loaded Spud!
Brought to you by Chip & Rusty’s
Meat Emporium
$10/Adult ~ $5/Child
Welcome to all of our guests and visitors!
Make plans to join us and invite a friend!
Classes resume September 11th!
Please be sure to register your child(ren)!
NOTICE FOR COMMUNION:
Church School classes begin following
Holy Communion. Teachers should
receive first, followed by the Altar
Servers, students and adults.
We will meet
at the Church
to begin the
training at
10:30 AM. Again, we will meet at Church first. Once
training ends, we’ll make our way to The Main Event
(I-45 location) for fun and fellowship. The day will
end at 1:30 PM. Parents should make plans to pick up
their child from The Main Event.
Call the Church Office (281-251-6000) or
just let Fr. Anthony or Adella know if your
son(s) will be there!
Feast of the Month
(oca.org)
Page 3
The Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross
Wednesday, September 14 – Divine Liturgy @ 9:00AM
The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely
eradicate from human memory the holy places where
our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected for
mankind. The Emperor Hadrian (117-138) gave orders
to cover over the ground of Golgotha and the Sepulchre
of the Lord, and to build a temple of the pagan goddess
Venus and a statue of Jupiter.
Pagans gathered at this place
and offered sacrifice to idols there.
Eventually after 300 years, by Divine
Providence, the great Christian sacred
remains, the Sepulchre of the Lord and
the Life-Creating Cross were again
discovered and opened for veneration.
This took place under the Emperor
Constantine the Great (306-337) after
his victory in the year 312 over
Maxentius, ruler of the Western part of
the Roman empire, and over Licinius,
ruler of its Eastern part. In the year
323 Constantine became the sole ruler
of the vast Roman Empire.
In 313 he had issued the Edict
of Milan, by which the Christian religion was legalized
and the persecutions against Christians in the Western
half of the empire were stopped. The ruler Licinius,
although he signed the Edict of Milan to oblige
Constantine, still fanatically continued the persecutions
against Christians. Only after his conclusive defeat did
the 313 Edict of toleration extend also to the Eastern
part of the empire. The Emperor Constantine, having
gained victory over his enemies in three wars with
God’s assistance, had seen in the heavens the Sign of
the Cross, and written beneath: “By this you shall
conquer.”
Ardently desiring to find the Cross on which
our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, St Constantine sent
his mother, the pious Empress Helen, to Jerusalem, to
set about completing the task with enthusiasm. The
empress gave orders to destroy the pagan temple and
the statues in Jerusalem. Searching for the Life-Creating
Cross, she made inquiry of Christians and Jews, but for
a long time her search remained unsuccessful.
Finally, they directed her to a certain elderly
Hebrew by the name of Jude who stated that the Cross
was buried where the temple of Venus stood. They
demolished the pagan temple and, after praying, they
began to excavate the ground. Soon the Tomb of the
Lord was uncovered. Not far from it were three crosses,
a board with the inscription ordered by Pilate, and four
nails which had pierced the Lord’s Body.
In order to discern on which of the three
crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius
alternately touched the crosses to a corpse. When the
Cross of the Lord touched the dead one, he came to life.
Having beheld the raising of the dead man, everyone
was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross was found.
The holy empress Helen journeyed to the holy
places connected with the earthly life of the Savior,
building more than 80 churches, at Bethlehem the
birthplace of Christ, and on the Mount of
Olives where the Lord ascended to Heaven,
and at Gethsemane where the Savior
prayed before His sufferings and where
the Mother of God was buried after her
death.
St Helen took part of the LifeCreating Wood and nails with her to
Constantinople. The holy emperor
Constantine gave orders to build at
Jerusalem a majestic and spacious church
in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, also
including under its roof the Life-Giving
Tomb of the Lord and Golgotha. The
temple was constructed in about ten years.
St Helen did not survive until the
dedication of the temple, she died in the
year 327. The church was consecrated on September
13, 335. On the following day, September 14, the festal
celebration of the Exaltation of the Venerable and LifeCreating Cross was established.
Another event connected to the Cross of the
Lord is remembered also on this day: its return to
Jerusalem from Persia after a fourteen year captivity.
During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Phocas
(602-610) the Persian emperor Khozroes II in a war
against the Greeks defeated the Greek army, plundered
Jerusalem and captured both the Life-Creating Cross of
the Lord and the Holy Patriarch Zachariah (609-633).
The Cross remained in Persia for fourteen years and
only under the emperor Heraclius (610-641), who
with the help of God defeated Khozroes and concluded
peace with his successor and son Syroes, was the Cross
of the Lord returned to the Christians.
With great solemnity the Life-creating Cross
was transferred to Jerusalem. Emperor Heraclius in
imperial crown and royal purple carried the Cross of
Christ into the temple of the Resurrection. With the
emperor went Patriarch Zacharios. At the gates by
which they ascended Golgotha, the emperor suddenly
stopped and was not able to proceed farther. The holy
Patriarch explained to the emperor that an angel of the
Lord was blocking his way. The emperor was told to
remove his royal trappings and to walk barefoot, since
He Who bore the Cross for the salvation of the world
from sin had made His way to Golgotha in all humility.
Then Heraclius donned plain garb, and without further
hindrance, carried the Cross of Christ into the church.
St. Anthony’s Scroll
Place
Postage
Here
St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church
7202 FM 2920
Spring, TX 77379
www.stanthonythegreat.org
CHURCH STAFF
Pastor
Youth Director
Secretary
Rev. Fr. Anthony Baba
Adella Winder
Bonnie Kokkinis
Mediterranean Night Gala
10th ANNUAL FUNDRAISER & BANQUET DINNER
Saturday, September 17th
The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center
~ Live Entertainment ~ Dinner & Dance ~ Silent Auction ~
$100 Raffle Tickets available for 2016 Toyota Camry
Do not need to be present to win!
Reserve Your Tickets or Table!
281~251~6000